Every month, High Press Soccer will issue it’s Global Soccer Table. These are the best XI teams in the world, as seen by our staff.

For now, clubs will only be judged on their domestic performance to date. When Champions League and Europa League matches get underway, those will factor into the rankings as well.

At the September international break, here are who we see as the XI best squads in the world.

11. Tottenham Hotspur

How about this for irony: the #11 spot was going to Ajax. Then “Mr Ajax” himself Tyler Everett submitted his ballot with Tottenham all the way up at #1 (or more accurately, #6) and it bumped Ajax off. For the love of Dennis Bergkamp!

As Tyler noted, “We’re just a few months removed from them making the UCL final and they’re deeper now.” True. But Spurs need to stop dropping points or they’ll drop off the list. Maybe with the transfer window closed and Christian Eriksen getting more starts, Spurs stabilize.

10. Paris Saint-Germain

The most combustible train-wreck of a squad just got more flammable with the addition of Mauro Icardi. Maybe the mercurial Icardi adds another goal per game for PSG in Ligue Ugh play, but their backline will still get shredded in the UCL.

Plus, PSG has a rash of key injuries to deal with in the short-term (Mbappe, Cavani) as well as the re-integration of Neymar to the squad. Interesting month ahead.

9. Borussia Dortmund

The reason we do these monthly instead of weekly is to allow for some larger perspective. BVB suffered a surprising 3-1 loss to newly promoted Union Berlin. However, they dominated possession (75%), total passes, and had a higher xG (1.6 to 1.05). The away match was also kind of insane, complete with some over-the-top fan behavior. Shit happens. BVB is fine.

8. RB Leipzig

Our boys! This year’s Ajax!

RB Leipzig are at 100% and sit atop the Bundesliga. They’re playing fun football, averaging 3 goals per game. Timo Werner has been an absolute boss.

They ultimately won’t win Germany’s top division, but they’ll make it more than a two (or one) team race.

7. Inter Milan

Antonio Conte doesn’t mess around. He got rid of players he didn’t like. He brought in those he does. This is a talented squad. Too bad they drew a brutal UCL group. However, they will challenge Juventus all season long in Serie A.

6. Juventus

So unlikable. Still so good. Domestically.

Juve are behind Inter on goal differential in the Serie A table. We think they’re vulnerable in the UCL. Regardless, they don’t drop behind Inter until they start dropping some points. This squad has so much talent they had to leave Emre Can off their Champions League squad. Other than City, they might be the only team in Europe where Can gets dropped like that.

5. Barcelona

Eighth in La Liga?! The horror!

When Lionel Messi returns, everything will be just fine. They’ll shoot up the rankings. It is worth noting though: this team without Messi still has a ton of talent. They should win more consistently. They shouldn’t be dropping so many points. Maybe Ernesto Valverde is the problem?

4. Bayern Munich

They just beat Mainz 6-1 where six different players scored a goal. After a surprising opening matchday draw vs Hertha and a hasty Philippe Coutinho loan in, this is quickly starting to look like Bayern of old.

3. Atlético Madrid

Perfect record and atop La Liga. Preseason, we touted Atlético as the best value buy in all of Europe to win their league (+1400 at the time). Those odds have dropped to +450. They’ll continue to drop as the season goes. Credit to Diego Simeone for integrating so many new parts without missing a beat. They’ve proven they can score early and then suffocate their opponent for a win. They’ve proven they can get behind and crank up the offensive to win. This squad is for real.

2. Manchester City

Yeah, they dropped points to Tottenham. City were still clearly the better squad. They have the best depth of any team in Europe. Having said that, the loss of Aymeric Laporte for three months highlights one of the few potential weak spots on the roster. Can John Stones effectively hold down the fort? Or will they be more susceptible to elite counter-attacking teams? We may not know the answer to that question until November at Anfield. But it’s worth watching.

1. Liverpool

This year’s squad may be the fifth best soccer team of all-time. They haven’t dropped a point domestically. They won the UEFA Super Cup. Sure, Liverpool don’t have City’s depth. But their top XI is on par with City’s best line-up, especially with the loss of Laporte. Liverpool holds the top spot until they actually (ever?) drop a point.

First off the bench: Ajax

As noted, Ajax was #11 before Everett’s ballot. Expect them to crack the rankings next month.